There is no single known author of The Arabian Nights. The stories have come together over time and are believed to have origins in the Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic languages across Asia, Africa and Europe.

Andrew Lang, born in the Scottish Borders in 1844, was an anthologist, poet, novelist, critic and historian who was best known for curating and translating collections of fairy tales, myths and legends. He had a prolific career before he died in 1912.